North West Film Archive
Encyclopedia
The North West Film Archive (NWFA) is the professionally recognised public home for the moving image heritage of the North West of England.
The Archive cares for over 35,000 items from the pioneer days of film
in the mid 1890s to video production
of the present day. The work of both the professional and the amateur is collected. The NWFA is a part of the Learning and Research Information Services at Manchester Metropolitan University
and has been established since 1977.
. The Archive was set up in 1977 and is the professionally recognised home for moving images made in or about Greater Manchester
, Lancashire
, Cheshire
, Merseyside
and Cumbria
. The region's position at the forefront of industrialisation
is reflected in the Archive's Collection which is a powerful record of modern urban society.
The Archive works closely with colleagues in national and regional film archives throughout the country. In 1994 the NWFA became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and the archive is also a member of the Film Archive Forum
.
s, documentaries
, advertising
and promotional information, education and travel films, home video
s, corporate video
s and regional television programmes. Complementary collections of photograph
s, taped interviews and original documentation have also been established. This material relates to the Archive's moving image collection and also to the region's film and cinema
industries.
, viewing and loan services. Those in higher education
can make use of the archives as the collections support academic teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines. The NWFA also has over twenty years' experience in providing a commercial service to television companies both in the UK and abroad.
The Archive cares for over 35,000 items from the pioneer days of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in the mid 1890s to video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
of the present day. The work of both the professional and the amateur is collected. The NWFA is a part of the Learning and Research Information Services at Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
and has been established since 1977.
History
The North West Film Archive is Britain's largest public collection outside LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The Archive was set up in 1977 and is the professionally recognised home for moving images made in or about Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
and Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. The region's position at the forefront of industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
is reflected in the Archive's Collection which is a powerful record of modern urban society.
The Archive works closely with colleagues in national and regional film archives throughout the country. In 1994 the NWFA became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and the archive is also a member of the Film Archive Forum
Film Archive Forum
The Film Archive Forum represents all of the public sector film and television archives which care for the UK's moving image heritage. It represents the UK's public sector moving image archives in all archival aspects of the moving image, and acts as the advisory body on national moving image...
.
Collections
The NWFA collections include; cinema newsreelNewsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s, documentaries
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and promotional information, education and travel films, home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
s, corporate video
Corporate video
Corporate video production refers to audio-visual corporate communications material commissioned primarily for a use by a company, corporation or organisation. A corporate video is often intended for a specific purpose in a corporate or B2B environment and viewed only by a limited or targeted...
s and regional television programmes. Complementary collections of photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s, taped interviews and original documentation have also been established. This material relates to the Archive's moving image collection and also to the region's film and cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
industries.
Access
The Archive offers a variety of access services to users in the public, academic and commercial sectors. Local residents and groups can take advantage of the NWFA's free researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, viewing and loan services. Those in higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
can make use of the archives as the collections support academic teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines. The NWFA also has over twenty years' experience in providing a commercial service to television companies both in the UK and abroad.